Jim Thompson

Email Jim at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com

The stumbling blocks when one is discussing environmental issues is that the impacts are at the macro level while the causes are often at the microscopic or submicroscopic levels. The probability and statistics applications to take those microscopic and submicroscopic findings to a solid cause and effect solution are not trivial, either.

Hence, we get talking heads during hurricanes blaming such a storm on global warming. I don't know if it is global warming or not, but my cynicism tends to doubt the pronouncement. The conflict-of-interest phenomenon I discussed last week biases me toward doubting the energizing source of any given hurricane.

Again, the problem is the effects that affect humans or the earth are indeed at the microscopic or submicroscopic level. There are other scientific instruments that become involved here, too (as well as other sophisticated mathematics). Collectively, these instruments' outputs can only be interpreted by highly trained professionals. Likewise with their mathematical modeling.

Then, when they have the attitude that I also described last week, whereby they will never run out of work (or salary), we have a huge credibility problem that the average person on the street has no way to judge as to its veracity. This is where we get environmental ignorance, for most of us, going about our lives, pick up our environmental knowledge from the news or a podcast or some other unverified source.

Doubt creeps in when one finds sources from one side of the environmental argument or the other that wants us to "give money so they can get the truth out."

I have some personal experience here, but it does not mean that it has completely pushed my thoughts on the environment to one side or another.

Recall that I mentioned last week that I had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on Valentine's Day, 2000. At the time, I told my doctors that I had spent my life working in paper mills. Any chance that contributed to this diagnosis? The answer came back, "No."

In 2006, I got sick again. This time it was Burkitt's Lymphoma, at that time very rare in the United States. But now the doctors came to me with questions. Were you a teenager in the 1960's? Did you live on a farm? Did you drink farm well water? Did you ever shovel large quantities of synthetic fertilizer? Was there anytime your bare arms might have rubbed tobacco plants? Bingo! I had a solid "yes" for each of their questions.

I was glad my parents were already deceased, they might have felt guilty.

Environmental ignorance goes both ways.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

For a deeper dive, go here.

Environmental Ignorance and Scientific Complexity: A Study Guide

This study guide examines the complexities of environmental science, the challenges of identifying cause-and-effect relationships, and the sociological factors that contribute to public "environmental ignorance." Based on the insights of Jim Thompson, the material explores why scientific consensus is often difficult for the layperson to verify and how personal experience can shape one's understanding of environmental risks.

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Part 1: Short-Answer Quiz

Instructions: Answer the following questions in two to three sentences based on the provided text.

1. What is the primary "stumbling block" identified by the author when discussing environmental issues?
2. Why is it difficult to establish a solid cause-and-effect solution for environmental impacts?
3. Why does the author express cynicism regarding "talking heads" who attribute specific hurricanes to global warming?
4. According to the text, what is required to interpret the outputs of scientific instruments and mathematical modeling?
5. How does the author describe the "credibility problem" facing highly trained professionals in the environmental field?
6. Where does the "average person on the street" typically acquire their knowledge of environmental issues?
7. What specific request from environmental groups often causes doubt to "creep in" for the public?
8. What was the medical response when the author first inquired if working in paper mills contributed to his 2000 lymphoma diagnosis?
9. How did the line of medical questioning change when the author was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma in 2006?
10. What does the author conclude about the nature of environmental ignorance?

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Part 2: Answer Key

1. What is the primary "stumbling block" identified by the author when discussing environmental issues? The main obstacle is the scale discrepancy between causes and effects. While the observable environmental impacts occur at the macro level, the underlying causes are often microscopic or submicroscopic in nature.
2. Why is it difficult to establish a solid cause-and-effect solution for environmental impacts? Establishing these links is not trivial because it requires complex applications of probability and statistics. Transitioning from microscopic findings to a definitive macro-level cause-and-effect relationship involves sophisticated mathematical challenges.
3. Why does the author express cynicism regarding "talking heads" who attribute specific hurricanes to global warming? The author doubts these pronouncements due to a perceived conflict-of-interest phenomenon. This bias makes the author skeptical of the true "energizing source" behind any given hurricane mentioned in the media.
4. According to the text, what is required to interpret the outputs of scientific instruments and mathematical modeling? The outputs of these sophisticated scientific instruments and their corresponding mathematical models can only be interpreted by highly trained professionals. The average person lacks the specialized training and instruments needed to judge the veracity of this data.
5. How does the author describe the "credibility problem" facing highly trained professionals in the environmental field? A credibility problem arises when professionals adopt the attitude that they will never run out of work or salary. This perceived self-interest makes it difficult for the public to determine if the information being provided is truthful or motivated by job security.
6. Where does the "average person on the street" typically acquire their knowledge of environmental issues? Most people pick up their environmental knowledge from unverified sources while going about their daily lives. These sources include news reports, podcasts, and other popular media.
7. What specific request from environmental groups often causes doubt to "creep in" for the public? Doubt often arises when sources on either side of an environmental argument ask for money. Specifically, when groups claim they need funds to "get the truth out," it triggers skepticism in the audience.
8. What was the medical response when the author first inquired if working in paper mills contributed to his 2000 lymphoma diagnosis? When the author was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma on Valentine's Day in 2000, his doctors explicitly told him "No." They did not believe his lifelong career in paper mills was a contributing factor to the illness.
9. How did the line of medical questioning change when the author was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma in 2006? Doctors began asking specific questions about his upbringing, such as whether he lived on a farm, drank well water, shoveled synthetic fertilizer, or handled tobacco plants. This indicated a shift in medical understanding regarding environmental exposures and his specific diagnosis.
10. What does the author conclude about the nature of environmental ignorance? The author concludes that "environmental ignorance goes both ways." This suggests that ignorance is present both in the dismissal of environmental risks and in the unverified claims made about environmental causes.

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Part 3: Essay Questions

Instructions: Use the themes and data points from the text to develop comprehensive responses to the following prompts.

1. The Scale Gap: Analyze the author's argument regarding the difficulty of connecting macro-level environmental effects to microscopic causes. How does this gap contribute to public confusion and the reliance on "unverified sources"?
2. Professional Credibility and Skepticism: Discuss the role of "conflict of interest" and professional job security in shaping public trust in environmental science. According to the text, why is the average person unequipped to evaluate scientific modeling?
3. Media vs. Mathematics: Contrast the "talking heads" approach to environmental reporting with the "sophisticated mathematics" and "probability and statistics" mentioned by the author. What are the consequences of simplifying complex scientific data for public consumption?
4. The Evolution of Environmental Awareness: Using the author's personal medical history as a case study, discuss how "environmental ignorance" can change over time. How did the medical community's shift from 2000 to 2006 illustrate a changing understanding of environmental cause and effect?
5. The Dual Nature of Ignorance: Explore the author's closing statement that "environmental ignorance goes both ways." Provide examples from the text that support the idea that both skepticism and alarmism can be forms of ignorance.

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Part 4: Glossary of Key Terms

Term Definition

Burkitt's Lymphoma A rare form of cancer (in the U.S. as of 2006) that medical professionals later linked to specific environmental factors like farm well water and synthetic fertilizers.

Conflict-of-Interest Phenomenon The bias or skepticism that arises when the source of information may benefit financially or professionally from the claims they are making.

Environmental Ignorance The lack of verified knowledge or understanding regarding environmental issues, often resulting from the complexity of the science or reliance on unverified media sources.

Macro Level The large-scale, visible level at which environmental impacts (such as hurricanes or global warming) are observed by humans.

Mathematical Modeling Sophisticated simulations used by professionals to interpret environmental data; they are often too complex for the average person to verify.

Microscopic / Submicroscopic The level at which the actual causes of environmental issues occur, invisible to the naked eye and requiring specialized instruments to detect.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma A diagnosis received by the author in 2000, which doctors initially claimed was not related to his professional work in paper mills.

Probability and Statistics The mathematical tools required to bridge the gap between microscopic findings and macro-level cause-and-effect solutions.

Synthetic Fertilizer A man-made substance used in farming; cited by doctors as a potential environmental factor in the author's later cancer diagnosis.

Talking Heads Commentators or pundits, often on news programs, who provide opinions on environmental issues (like hurricanes) that the author suggests may lack scientific rigor.

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